Scottish Executive

Airports

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd will receive an increase in funding in the period to 2005-06 as referred to in the transport section of Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys and what any such extra funding will be spent on.

Lewis Macdonald: In the period 2003-04 to 2005-06 the level of deficit and capital funding provided to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) will increase from £20.9 million to £22.1 million a year (excluding capital charges of £9 million per year).

  The level of funding will allow HIAL to operate 10 airports in the Highlands and Islands and keep airport charges at a level that will encourage the development of air services. The additional funding will also support the development of Inverness Airport and the associated business park. These developments should lead to increased freight, charter and passenger services.

Ambulance Service

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what extra funding or resources it provided to (a) the Scottish Ambulance Service in the Grampian region, (b) accident and emergency departments of Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust and (c) the nursing workforce employed by the NHS when it decided to pilot NHS 24 in the Grampian region.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS 24 is not being piloted in the Grampian region; Grampian is the first part of Scotland to benefit from the national rollout of this new NHS service. NHS 24 was designed and developed with the support of staff from the Scottish Ambulance Service and accident and emergency services to complement these services. By providing callers with home care advice or, where required, directing them to the most appropriate NHS service it should help reduce inappropriate demand on these services. NHS 24 is working very closely with NHSScotland to maximise nursing resource and minimise impact on local NHS services. Consequently, no additional funding was provided to the Grampian NHS Board area solely because NHS 24 would be launched in that area.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, and intends to take, to ensure that Afghani asylum seekers and refugees feel welcome in Scotland.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive has made it very clear that we are intent on ensuring that Scotland is a welcoming place for all people coming to live here. Specifically, we have established the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum, which I chair and which has been charged with developing action plans to enable the successful integration of refugees in Scotland and the provision of more accessible, co-ordinated and good quality services. The forum has been undertaking a great deal of work and a draft action plan will be available for comment shortly.

Civil Servants

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications under paragraph 16, section 4.3, Annex A of the Civil Service Management Code have been referred for approval to the Prime Minister in each of the last five years, broken down by department or agency.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29475 on 1 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Community Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the average weekly charge for a person with a learning disability residing in a local authority home costs £564 compared to £492 in the voluntary and £369 in the private sectors, as identified in table 2.12 of Scottish Community Care Statistics 2001 .

Mr Frank McAveety: It is for local authorities to choose care provision which best suits the needs of those people requiring care. It is also for authorities to set the level of fees for their own care homes, in line with the requirement in the National Assistance Act 1948 that the fee represents the full cost to the authority of providing the care home place.

Community Care

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26330 by Frank McAveety on 7 June 2002, how many rapid response teams providing care support facilities for patients discharged from hospital are currently in operation, how many are attached to psychiatric units and how they are staffed.

Mr Frank McAveety: Feedback from the joint local action plans on delayed discharge shows that all but three partnership areas either have rapid response teams in place or are developing them. We will continue to chart the development and expansion of these teams.

  Specific information on how many rapid response teams are attached to psychiatric units is not held centrally.

Economic Development

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to support the economic regeneration of the Larkhall area.

Iain Gray: Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire is taking action in line with the direction and priorities set out in the Executive’s A Smart, Successful Scotland . This sets out the foundation for sustained improvement in economic performance in Scotland. It focuses on three key challenges for raising productivity:

  Growing businesses

  Global connections

  Learning and skills

  Provision of information on programmes and projects is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

Education

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific lessons were learned in its review of the Excellence Fund by studying the Standards Fund administered by the Department for Education and Skills.

Nicol Stephen: The remit of the review of the Excellence Fund, agreed and carried out by the Scottish Executive and Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (on behalf of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) did not include a specific analysis of the Standards Fund.

Education

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what conclusions were reached following its review of the Excellence Fund.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland review of the Excellence Fund reached the following main conclusions:

  There remains a need for the continuation of specific grant funding focused on driving change and targeted at priority initiatives. Where appropriate, funding should be mainstreamed within GAE.

  Any future fund should focus on the five National Priorities for Education.

  In return for increased local flexibility on the use of funds, there should be clear accountability for results.

Elderly People

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of elder abuse have been recorded in each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

Energy Conservation

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27361 by Hugh Henry on 1 August 2002, why (a) individual local authority figures for Scotland have not yet been published, given that such figures for England and Wales were published by Her Majesty's Government in June, and (b) it has not issued instructions to officials about whether the practice of publishing individual local authority figures should be followed.

Hugh Henry: No figures at all have yet been published because, as I said in reply to question S1W-27361, the second Home Energy Conservation Act progress reports are currently being considered. I will write to Mr Brown on this issue when consideration of the second progress reports is complete.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any responsibility for the Sector Skills Development Agency budget in Scotland and, if so, whether it will give a breakdown of the budget for Sector Skills Councils in each year from 2002-03 to 2005-06.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive has no responsibility for the Sector Skills Development Agency budget. The agency is funded by the Department for Education and Skills.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representation it has on the board of the Sector Skills Development Agency.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive has no representation on the board of the Sector Skills Development Agency. However, the Executive receives copies of board minutes and papers.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for liaison with the Sector Skills Development Agency.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive’s Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department is responsible for liaison with the Sector Skills Development Agency.

Enterprise

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what savings are expected from the budget of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) following the business improvement process it is engaged in, as referred to in the enterprise and lifelong learning section of Building a Better Scotland – Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys .

Iain Gray: Highland and Islands Enterprise's business improvement process, which is the next stage in its Evolving the Network initiative, was announced on 30 August 2002. It is too early to quantify the resulting savings although HIE have stated that this will mean more of its budget will be spent on front-line activities and less on back-office administration.

Europe

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations have submitted applications for grants from its fund for Future of Europe debates, referred to in paragraph 10 of its paper submitted to the European Committee on 18 June 2002, Future of Europe Debate: Involving Civil Society , and which applications (a) are pending and (b) have been successful.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive approached the Scottish Civic Forum to gauge interest in the Future of Europe debate amongst medium- and small-sized Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Based on their findings, and in the interests of ensuring that a reasonable number and wide spread of NGOs could take part in the debate, it was decided that the most effective option would be to commission the civic forum to hold a small number of seminars open to all NGOs, rather than to invite bids for grant funding from individual bodies. Three events were held during September, in Dumfries, Edinburgh and Perth, which were attended by 40 NGOs and a number of individuals.

Ferry Services

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services will receive an increase in funding in the period to 2005-06 as referred to in the transport section of Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys and what any such extra funding will be spent on.

Lewis Macdonald: I can confirm that planned provision for Clyde and Hebrides ferry services is £37 million in 2003-04 and £38 million in each of the years 2004-05 and 2005-06.

  The provision will allow existing services currently provided by Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd, together with the new Sound of Barra service and enhancements to services out of Oban, to be delivered at affordable fare levels. It will also meet the set up and running costs of the new vessel owning company to be established as part of the tendering of Clyde and Hebrides routes.

  These figures will be reviewed in the light of the outcome of the tendering process.

  I intend to make a separate announcement in due course on a new vessel programme for these services.

Ferry Services

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25871 by Ross Finnie on 28 May 2002, whether it has had any further discussions with Superfast Ferries regarding implementation of the pet passport scheme on the Rosyth to Zeebrugge route.

Ross Finnie: My officials and officials from the State Veterinary Service are in regular contact with Superfast Ferries. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday 3 October and will take place at Rosyth. Officials from the local authority, Port Authority and Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise will also be present.

Fire Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the review of the pension scheme relating to fire brigade employees will be completed and published.

Mr Jim Wallace: This review is about the funding arrangements and management of the Firemen’s Pension Scheme in Scotland. The review group’s remit precluded any consideration of the scheme’s terms and conditions. The work of the group has not yet been concluded. It is not possible at this stage to be definitive about when the report will be submitted to ministers and published.

Flooding

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from Glasgow City Council in respect of the recent flooding in the east end of Glasgow.

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to give financial assistance to Glasgow City Council to tackle the cost of the recent flooding in the city.

Mr Andy Kerr: We are in contact with Glasgow City Council, but no request for financial assistance has been received.

Further and Higher Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what implications the General Agreement on Trade in Services proposals on trade in services will have for tertiary education.

Iain Gray: The regulation of international trade is a reserved matter. However, the Executive continues to be in regular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry and other UK Government Departments on trade issues and how these may impact on the Executive’s responsibilities.

  The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) applies to measures affecting trade in services taken by central, regional or local governments and authorities, and by non-governmental bodies in the exercise of powers delegated by such governments and authorities. Progressive liberalisation under the GATS concerns the reduction or elimination of the adverse effects on trade in services of such measures as a means of providing effective market access for foreign service suppliers. The GATS makes clear that liberalisation shall take place, if at all, with due respect for national policy objectives. The agreement recognises the right of World Trade Organisation member governments to regulate, and to introduce new regulations, on the supply of services within their territories in order to meet these objectives.

Further and Higher Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made about the education system in advance of the current General Agreement on Trade in Services negotiations on trade in services and whether it consulted (a) Universities Scotland, (b) the National Union of Students and (c) the Association of University Teachers before making any such representations.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on the GATS as it relates to education services. Universities Scotland, the National Union of Students and the Association of University Teachers have all been consulted by the Executive and we expect to consult these bodies further throughout the process. The Department of Trade and Industry intends to publish in early October a public consultation document on the GATS. Copies will be sent to each of these bodies and others with an interest in education in Scotland.

Further and Higher Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what effects the European Union’s Sorbonne/Bologna process will have on tertiary education.

Iain Gray: The Bologna Process was initiated by a small group of European Education Ministers in Paris in 1998 and taken forward by a larger group of ministers in Bologna in 1999 and is not a formal EU process. It is an inter-ministerial process of agreed action between 33 signatory countries, including the UK, with the aim of creating a European higher education area by 2010. This will mean having readily comparable higher education systems across Europe. With its existing Bachelor/Masters structure and the development of SCOTCAT and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, the Scottish higher education system already fits well with the Bologna model.

Further and Higher Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it will have to the meeting of European Union ministers in Berlin in 2003 to discuss harmonisation of higher education; whether any minister will lead a delegation there; what evidence it intends to submit to the meeting, and what research it has done to assist in gathering evidence to present.

Iain Gray: The Berlin conference will take place in September 2003 and the agenda has not yet been set. Discussions between the UK Government and the devolved administrations on which ministers will attend for the UK will take place nearer the time.

Further and Higher Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it has in the tuning of the Dublin descriptors on higher education following the Amsterdam/Bologna seminar of May 2002.

Iain Gray: The Tuning project is a two-year project led by the Universities of Deusto and Groningen and sponsored by the European Commission. The work has been taken forward by academics from universities throughout Europe and there has been no direct ministerial involvement.

Further and Higher Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken, or is taking, to meet the recommendations of the Lisbon/Bologna seminar of April 2002 on the harmonisation of higher education.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken, or is taking, to help higher education institutions meet the recommendations of the Lisbon/Bologna seminar of April 2002 on the harmonisation of higher education.

Iain Gray: The UK Government signed up in 1997 to the Council of Europe/UNESCO Lisbon Convention on promoting transparency in mutual recognition of academic qualifications. The conference in April 2002 was held to mark five years since that convention was drawn up and to recognise the progress that has been made. The National Academic Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) provides information and advice to UK higher and further education institutions on all issues relating to the mutual recognition of UK and international qualifications.

Genetically Modified Crops

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to limit the spread of GM pollens in this year’s field trials.

Ross Finnie: As oil seed rape produces pollen, it is impossible to rule out altogether the possibility of some pollen travelling outwith the boundaries of the trial site. Separation distances are used to minimise this possibility.

  When considering applications for GM field trials the consequences of pollen travelling by wind or foraging insects is specifically assessed by the Executive’s advisory bodies including the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment. Approval would not have been given for the current trials if this assessment had given rise to safety concerns for human health or the environment.

Health

Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its strategy on coronary heart disease and stroke.

Malcolm Chisholm: Our national Strategy on Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke is being launched on Thursday 3 October. Copies are being placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre later today (Bib. number 24414).

Housing

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Glasgow Housing Association regarding the impact on its future capital programme of the recent decision by Glasgow City Council to finance the costs of the recent flooding from its housing revenue account capital programme.

Ms Margaret Curran: There have been no discussions between the Executive and the Glasgow Housing Association in this regard.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many persons convicted of murder are now on bail pending appeal against conviction.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information indicates that a total of five persons, including four whose cases have been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, are currently on interim liberation pending an appeal against their conviction for murder.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many persons convicted of (a) murder, (b) culpable homicide, (c) rape and (d) serious assault were released on bail in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, (iii) 2000, (iv) 2001 and (v) 2002 to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information available is given in the following table.

  Persons Granted Bail Following the Lodging of Appeal Against Conviction for Selected Offences, 1998-20021,2,3

  


Main offence of conviction 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  

2002 
  



Murder 
  

0 
  

1 
  

3 
  

3 
  

0 
  



Culpable homicide 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Rape 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  

4 
  

1 
  



Attempted murder and serious assault 
  

2 
  

2 
  

3 
  

8 
  

9 
  



  1. Provisional data, as at 10 September 2002.

  2. May exclude some cases where convictions were quashed on appeal and for whom details of their original conviction are no longer held on the current Scottish Criminal Records Office database.

  3. Includes cases referred by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission to the Court of Appeal.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of crimes were committed by people on bail in each of the last 10 years, broken down by crime.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information available is given in the following table. Offenders convicted for offences committed while subject to a bail order issued prior to 1 April 1996 will, if the main part of the sentence related to the offence under the Bail (Scotland) Act 1980 of re-offending while on bail, have been classified to the "Other crimes" grouping. Where the bail order was issued on or after 1 April 1996, the offender will have been classified to the main offence committed while on bail. Convictions data for 2001 are expected to be available in November.

  Persons with a Charge Proved with a Bail Aggravation1, by Main Offence Grouping, 1991-2000

  


Year 
  

All Crimes and Offences 
  

Non-Sexual Crimes of Violence 
  

Crimes of Indecency 
  

Crimes of Dishonesty 
  

Criminal Damage 
  

Other Crimes 
  

Miscell-aneous Offences 
  

Motor Vehicle Offences 
  



Number 
  



1991 
  

10,752 
  

421 
  

125 
  

5,127 
  

352 
  

2,739 
  

1,551 
  

437 
  



1992 
  

11,502 
  

569 
  

125 
  

5,255 
  

405 
  

2,993 
  

1,633 
  

522 
  



1993 
  

12,010 
  

551 
  

140 
  

5,115 
  

379 
  

3,395 
  

1,846 
  

584 
  



1994 
  

12,651 
  

599 
  

145 
  

5,282 
  

373 
  

3,663 
  

1,960 
  

629 
  



1995 
  

12,511 
  

631 
  

192 
  

4,765 
  

384 
  

3,992 
  

1,835 
  

712 
  



1996 
  

11,748 
  

667 
  

110 
  

4,271 
  

376 
  

3,354 
  

2,251 
  

719 
  



1997 
  

9,989 
  

521 
  

93 
  

3,920 
  

318 
  

1,559 
  

2,914 
  

664 
  



1998 
  

9,925 
  

491 
  

128 
  

4,133 
  

327 
  

1,033 
  

3,279 
  

534 
  



1999 
  

9,292 
  

534 
  

62 
  

4,261 
  

239 
  

893 
  

2,678 
  

625 
  



2000 
  

7,942 
  

549 
  

31 
  

3,487 
  

254 
  

759 
  

2,376 
  

486 
  


 

Percentage of all persons with a charge proved 
  



1991 
  

6 
  

14 
  

8 
  

15 
  

6 
  

28 
  

3 
  

1 
  



1992 
  

6 
  

16 
  

9 
  

16 
  

7 
  

30 
  

3 
  

1 
  



1993 
  

7 
  

15 
  

9 
  

16 
  

8 
  

30 
  

4 
  

1 
  



1994 
  

8 
  

18 
  

10 
  

18 
  

8 
  

30 
  

4 
  

1 
  



1995 
  

8 
  

18 
  

15 
  

17 
  

8 
  

31 
  

4 
  

1 
  



1996 
  

8 
  

16 
  

11 
  

16 
  

7 
  

26 
  

5 
  

1 
  



1997 
  

7 
  

12 
  

8 
  

15 
  

6 
  

13 
  

6 
  

1 
  



1998 
  

7 
  

12 
  

10 
  

17 
  

7 
  

9 
  

8 
  

1 
  



1999 
  

7 
  

13 
  

7 
  

18 
  

6 
  

8 
  

8 
  

1 
  



2000 
  

7 
  

13 
  

5 
  

17 
  

6 
  

7 
  

7 
  

1 
  



  Note:

  1. Persons with a charge for bail reoffending under the Bail (Scotland) Act 1980 or a bail aggravation for reoffending on bail under the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-8781 and S1W-9352 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 August and 12 September 2000 respectively, how many people had a charge proved relating to (a) house-breaking, (b) assault and robbery and (c) drug-related offences in Scotland in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001 and (iv) 2002 to date and how many of these were charged where the main offence involved was aggravated by having been committed while the offender was on bail.

Mr Jim Wallace: Information on persons with a charge proved in 1999 and 2000 where a bail aggravation was recorded in the sentence is included in Table 14 of the annual statistical bulletins Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts published for those years (Bib. numbers 11289 and 17818 respectively). Data for the year 2001 are expected to be available in November 2002. Assault and robbery falls within the Scottish Executive Justice Department’s crime category of robbery.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Solicitor General is concerned that appeals in rape cases take an average of over a year to be heard and whether it will investigate urgently whether the courts are in need of more resources so that appeals can be pursued speedily.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Solicitor General shares with all ministers a desire to ensure that the Appeal Courts operate as effectively as possible. I refer the member to my answer to question S1W-28835 on 13 September 2002, that describes steps being taken to help speed up the appeals procedure. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search wa .

  Since then, ministers have agreed to a request by the Lord Justice General that an additional five temporary Judges should be appointed to help with the backlog of work generally. The number of permanent Judges stands at a record level of 32.

Licensing of Taxis

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review each local authority’s procedures for issuing taxi licenses, with particular regard to screening applicants for previous convictions and what further action it plans to take in respect of this matter.

Peter Peacock: The legislative provisions contained in Schedule 1 paragraphs 2(1) of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 requires a local authority to forward a copy of any application for the grant or renewal of a taxi or private hire car licence to the Chief Constable. In addition, a local authority in considering such an application, can also make any other reasonable inquiries it considers necessary. As such, local authorities should be aware of the criminal convictions of applicants and will take into account any information provided by the Chief Constable in determining the application for a licence.

  We are not aware of any difficulties with the current legislative provisions in this regard. However, an independent task group set up by ministers to review the licensing provisions in the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, which includes a representative from the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, is currently consulting on its emerging findings. The Task Group Consultation Paper makes no reference to this issue but it is open to people submit comments to the task group on any aspect of the licensing provisions about which they have concerns. The closing date for responses is 4 October 2002 and the consultation paper is on the web at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/government/rlpc-00.asp.

  The task group is due to submit its report by the end of 2002.

Local Government

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors (a) community planning and (b) community budgeting by local authorities.

Peter Peacock: (a) The Local Government in Scotland Bill as introduced, identifies local authorities as facilitators of the community planning process. As such, it places a requirement on local authorities to produce a report on what has been done by way of community planning in their areas. The emphasis is on reporting to the community and stakeholders. In its Stage 1 report on the Local Government in Scotland Bill, the Local Government Committee has made recommendations in this area and we are currently considering the contents of the report.

  (b) The formal consultation on community budgeting was completed at the end of June 2002. The Executive is currently considering these responses and the best way forward for community budgeting to proceed.

Local Government

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by local authorities in (a) community planning and (b) community budgeting.

Peter Peacock: (a) There is now a Community Planning Partnership in each local authority area in Scotland. Local authorities have played a significant role in the development of Community Planning Partnerships in their areas.

  The Local Government in Scotland Bill currently being considered by Parliament, proposes a statutory underpinning for community planning and gives local authorities a duty to initiate and facilitate the community planning process in their areas.

  This will ensure that local authorities implement community planning on a more consistent and on-going basis.

  (b) The formal consultation on community budgeting was completed at the end of June 2002. The Executive is currently considering these responses and the best way forward for community budgeting to proceed.

Local Government

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives local authorities for (a) community planning and (b) community budgeting.

Peter Peacock: (a) The Local Government in Scotland Bill proposes a statutory basis for community planning and in so doing will give local authorities a duty to initiate and facilitate the process. Associated guidance to the bill is being developed in consultation with the Community Planning Task Force and this will provide a framework for implementing community planning, to which local authorities shall have regard. The Local Government in Scotland Bill also proposes to give local authorities a power to advance well-being, effectively a power of first resort, which should enable them to work in a more innovative and creative way in responding to the needs of their communities.

  (b) The formal consultation on community budgeting was completed at the end of June 2002. The Executive is currently considering these responses and the best way forward for community budgeting to proceed.

Local Government

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to voluntary organisations in order to facilitate their participation in (a) community planning and (b) community budgeting.

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage voluntary organisations to participate in (a) community planning and (b) community budgeting.

Peter Peacock: (a) The Local Government in Scotland Bill proposes a requirement on local authorities in their role in facilitating the community planning process, to consult, co-operate and encourage community bodies to work in partnership, to promote the well-being of their area through community planning.

  Guidance to the bill will emphasise that this should include voluntary organisations. We are also considering as part of the guidance, what support is required in building the capacity of voluntary organisations to engage in the community planning process.

  (b) The formal consultation on community budgeting was completed at the end of June 2002. The Executive is currently considering these responses and the best way forward for community budgeting to proceed.

Ministerial Committees

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list each ministerial (a) committee and (b) sub-committee created since May 1999, giving the membership and the dates established and terminated in each case.

Mr Jack McConnell: Prior to the winter of 2001-02, no formal committees or sub-committees of Cabinet existed. The decision to have committees arose from a review of the preceding, less formal arrangement of ministerial groups. In addition to formal committees and standing ministerial groups, ministers also meet in ad hoc groups to deal with specific issues.

  The information requested is set out in the following tables:

  Table 1: Cabinet Sub-Committees

  


Title/Ministerial Members 
  

Period of Operation 
  



Cabinet Sub-Committee on Children’s 
  Services (CSCCS) 
  



First Minister (Chair) 
  

19-12-01 to present 
  



Minister for Education and Young People (Deputy Chair) 
  



Minister for Health and Community Care 
  



Deputy Minister for Education and Young People 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services 
  



Deputy Minister for Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Social Justice 
  



Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation (CSCL) 
  



First Minister (Chair) 
  

06-03-02 to present 
  



Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice 
  



Minister for Parliamentary Business (Deputy Chair) 
  



Lord Advocate 
  



Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business 
  



Cabinet Sub-Committee on Renewing Local 
  Democracy (CSCRLD) 
  



First Minister (Chair) 
  

22-01-02 to present 
  



Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice 
  



Minister for Education and Young People 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Minister for Finance and Public Services 
  



Minister for Parliamentary Business 
  



Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Development 
  (CSCRD) 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Chair) 
  

23-01-02 to present 
  



Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning 
  



Minister for Finance and Public Services 
  



Minister for Social Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport 
  



Cabinet Sub-Committee on Social Justice 
  (CSCSJ) 
  



Minister for Social Justice (Chair) 
  

13-03-02 to present 
  



Minister for Education and Young People 
  



Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning 
  



Minister for Finance and Public Services 
  



Minister for Health and Community Care 
  



Deputy Minister for Social Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business 
  



Cabinet Sub-Committee on Sustainable Scotland 
  (CSCSS) 
  



First Minister (Chair) 
  

05-02-02 to present 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Minister for Finance and Public Services 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong 
  Learning 
  



Deputy Minister for Social Justice 
  



External Members: 
  



Ms Jan Bebbington Dept. of Accountancy and Finance, University 
  of Aberdeen 
  



Mr Kevin Dunion, Director, Friends of the Earth Scotland 
  



Mr Mark Hope, Director of External Affairs, Shell Expro 
  



Cabinet Sub-Committee on Tackling Drug Misuse 
  (CSCTDM) 
  



Deputy First Minister (Chair) 
  

27-03-02 to present 
  



Minister for Education and Young People 
  



Deputy Minister (Mulligan) for Health and Community Care 
  



Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong 
  Learning 
  



Deputy Minister for Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Social Justice 
  



External Members: 
  



Mr Jim Orr, Director of the Scottish Drugs Enforcement 
  Agency 
  



Mr Ian Ross, Drugs Action Teams Association 
  



Cabinet Sub-Committee on Best Value and 
  Budget Review (CSCBVBR) 
  



Minister for Finance and Public Services (Chair) 
  

25-04-01 to present 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Minister for Parliamentary Business 
  



Minister for Social Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services 
  



  Table 2: Previous Standing Ministerial Working Groups

  


Title/Ministerial Members 
  

Period of Operation 
  



Ministerial Committee on Rural Development 
  (MCRD) 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Chair) 
  

01-09-99 to 23-01-02*





Minister for Transport and Planning 
  



Minister for Social Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Deputy Minister for Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Gaelic 
  



Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs 
  



Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care 
  



Deputy Minister for Parliament 
  



Deputy Minister for Transport and Planning 
  



Sub-Group of Ministerial Committee on Rural 
  Development on Impacts of Foot and Mouth Disease (MCRD-SG) 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Chair) 
  

26-03-01 to 21-08-01 
  



Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 
  



Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Parliament 
  



Ministerial Committee on Digital Scotland 
  (MCDS) 
  



Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (Chair) 
  

24-08-99 to 31-03-02 
  



Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Minister for Social Justice 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care 
  



Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs 
  



Deputy Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Ministerial Committee on Tackling Drugs 
  Misuse (MCTDM) 
  



Deputy Minister for Justice (Chair) 
  

17-08-99 to 27-03-02* 
  



Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs 
  



Deputy Minister for Social Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care 
  



Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Gaelic 
  



Ministerial Group on Sustainable Scotland 
  (MCSS) 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Chair) 
  

18-01-00 to 05-02-02* 
  



Minister for Transport and Planning 
  



Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Minister for Social Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Gaelic 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs 
  



Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care 
  



External Members 
  



Mr Kevin Dunion, Director, Friends of the Earth Scotland 
  



Mr Mark Hope, Director of External Affairs, Shell Expro 
  



Ministerial Steering Committee on Diligence (MSCD) 
  



Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice (Chair) 
  

24-08-99 to 31-03-02 
  



Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Minister for Parliament 
  



Solicitor General for Scotland 
  



Deputy Minister for Social Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Justice 
  



Ministerial Working Group on Best Value 
  and Budget Review (MWGBV) 
  



Minister for Finance and Local Government (Chair) 
  

30-01-01 to 25-04-01* 
  



First Minister 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Minister for Parliament 
  



Deputy Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Ministerial Working Group on GM Science 
  (MWGGMS) 
  



Minister for Health and Community Care 
  

24-08-99 to 31-03-02 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Gaelic 
  



Ministerial Working Group on Renewing Local 
  Democracy (MWGRLD) 
  



First Minister (Chair) 
  

22-08-00 to 22-01-02 
  



Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice 
  



Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 
  



Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Minister for Parliament 
  



Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Ministerial Working Group on 21st Century 
  Government (MWG21CG) 
  



Minister for Finance and Local Government (Chair) 
  

22-03-01 to 31-03-02** 
  



Minister for Social Justice 
  



Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 
  



Minister for Transport and Planning 
  



Minister for Health and Community Care 
  



Deputy Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Poverty and Inclusion Task Force (PITF) 
  



Minister for Social Justice (Chair) 
  

30-07-99 to 28-02-02* 
  



Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs 
  



Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 
  



Minister for Finance and Local Government 
  



Minister for Health and Community Care 
  



Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development 
  



Deputy Minister for Social Justice 
  



Deputy Minister for Justice 
  



  Notes:

  *Replaced by Cabinet sub-committee.

  ** Decision yet to be taken on forming a new Cabinet sub-committee.

NHS Hospitals

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the decision of the Minister for Health and Community Care to approve the plans of Greater Glasgow NHS Board on the future provision of acute hospital services in the board area is final and not subject to any further review.

Malcolm Chisholm: In approving Greater Glasgow NHS Board’s plan for the future provision of acute hospital services throughout its area, I gave careful consideration to, and looked closely at, the process that had been carried out by the NHS board in formulating its proposals. I also closely scrutinised the considerable amount of information made available to me by NHS Greater Glasgow and other interested parties.

  This is a long-term plan, which must be flexible enough to take account of changing service demands and developing medical practice. I, therefore, support the on-going monitoring and review process that will include external commentary by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on the governance arrangements and processes for the development and implementation of the Acute Services Strategy. The reports produced by PwC will be submitted to Audit Scotland and will be subject to independent review. They may also form the basis of any reports to the Scottish Parliament that the Auditor General for Scotland may prepare.

  I also recognise that there remains particular concerns about the future number of accident and emergency departments serving the city and a review of the proposed configuration will be carried out in two years time when the position becomes clearer. This will involve staff, patient and community groups, Glasgow Health Council and the Scottish Royal Colleges.

  It is now for NHS Greater Glasgow to turn its ambitious and far-reaching proposals into reality for the benefit of all the people of Glasgow and beyond without further delay. In doing so, the NHS board must fully involve all stakeholders throughout the detailed planning process and in setting and achieving milestones during the implementation period.

Nursing

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is conducting any inquiries in respect of any monies provided to Napier University for nursing training and associated courses being redirected to capital building projects; what the scope and timescale of any such inquiries are; what amounts in cash terms have been so redirected, and to what specific capital projects they were redirected.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have no plans to conduct any inquiry into the use of the funds Napier University receives under the terms of the contract for the provision of nurse education. The nurse education contract is a major priority for the university and it is funded entirely separately from their capital programme.

  The Chief Nursing Officer and officials of the Scottish Executive Health Department meet regularly with the Health and Social Sciences Faculty of Napier University to monitor the delivery of the contract. They are satisfied that the requirements of the nurse education contract are being delivered to the standard expected and that the funds associated with the contract are being used for the purpose intended.

Police

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how often the working group on grant aided expenditure allocations for police finance has met; when it last met, and when its final report will be published.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Police Grant Aided Expenditure Working Group has met formally on 10 occasions, most recently on 24 September 2002. The previous such meeting was in June 2001, when the group considered some provisional recommendations put forward by consultants, but regarded these as inconclusive. In the interval between these two meetings, further work was undertaken and a number of informal meetings and exchanges of correspondence took place between members of the group. Following these, the group was able to reach agreement in principle on its recommendations at its September 2002 meeting. A report of the processes and analysis involved is being prepared and will be submitted to ministers in October, following which consideration will be given to wider publication.

Police

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a copy of the guidelines on the police use of baton rounds in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Mr Jim Wallace: Guidelines on the tactical deployment of baton guns and other less lethal options are contained in a joint ACPO/ACPOS Manual of Guidance on the Police Use of Firearms , copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 24110)

  Alternatively, a copy of the guidance is available from the ACPO website at:

  http://www.acpo.police.uk/policies/Contents.pdf.

Police Act 1997

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times since May 1999 it has used its powers under Part III of the Police Act 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has no powers under Part III of the Police Act 1997, which concerns authorisation of interference with property and wireless telegraphy. In Scotland, only the Chief Constable of a police force can authorise such interference.

  The Chief Surveillance Commissioner has a duty to keep under review the performance of functions under Part III of the 1997 act, and he submits an annual report to the Prime Minister and the Scottish ministers. The annual report for 2000-01 (SE/2002/5), which was laid before the Parliament on 17 January 2002, provides information on the use of these powers by the police in Scotland.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive with regard to paragraph 2.4 of the Annual Report 2001-02 by the Over 21's Visiting Committee at HM Prison and Young Offenders' Institute Cornton Vale, whether delay in releasing women in shared cells to use toilet facilities, with particular regard to women with serious medical conditions, is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  We do not consider that there is a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. Access to toilet facilities during the day is generally unrestricted. At night, an automated system allows prisoners in single cells to access toilet facilities. For security reasons, prisoners who are sharing a cell cannot make use of the automated system. Staff require to supervise the unlocking of their doors. Night shift staffing has recently been increased to reduce the delay in unlocking doors. Furthermore, procedures are in place to ensure that women with serious medical conditions are not required to share a cell.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25705 by Mr Jim Wallace on 15 August 2002, why the two offers received by 3 May 2000 for the buildings of the former HM Prison Penninghame were considered unacceptable.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The offers received failed to reach the lower limit of the expected price range.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27653 by Mr Jim Wallace on 15 August 2002, why the information placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 23085) did not include information on HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Some of the questions asked as part of the August 1999 audit involved retrospective analysis which was not possible for HM Prison Kilmarnock which had become fully operational just over a month before.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27653 by Mr Jim Wallace on 15 August 2002, what information on compliance with Standards for the Health Care of Prisoners is collected for HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  An audit of SPS run prisons was undertaken in August 1999. No information has been collected on compliance against Standards for the Health Care of Prisoners in Kilmarnock or any other prison since then. Work is currently in hand on the revision of these standards to improve their auditibility. The revised standards, when introduced, will enable collection of information against compliance in all prisons.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25569 and S1W-27720 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May and 14 August 2002 respectively, how incidents of the disciplinary offences of (a) denying an officer access to any part of the prison, (b) intentionally endangering the health or personal safety of others, (c) intentionally obstructing an officer in the execution of his duty, (d) possession of an article or quantity of an article, (e) sale or delivery of an authorised article, (f) arson, (g) destroying or damaging property, (h) unauthorised absence from or presence in any part of the establishment, (i) inhaling a prohibited or unauthorised substance, (j) consuming, taking, injecting, ingesting or concealing a prohibited substance and (k) committing an indecent or obscene act are recorded in the performance points incurred in respect of HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The performance measures in Schedule F of the contract relate to the extent to which the contractor is expected to manage events, incidents or activities. Acts of indiscipline by prisoners, such as those cited, are often spontaneous and difficult to predict: the performance measures reflect whether the contractor has minimised the potential for such an incident and/or to have contained its effect. If, for example, the items cited in (d), (e), (i) or (j) had been smuggled into the prison, that is how the event would be reflected as a performance measure; if a breach of security procedures allowed a prisoner to be somewhere he should not be – as in (h) - again that is how it would be reflected. In a number of the cases cited, the measure is about whether the management of prisoners is such that other prisoners do not become involved in isolated incidents of serious indiscipline, thereby preventing these from escalating. Each individual incident/prisoner is dealt with in the orderly room, as appropriate.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners had a mental illness requiring medical treatment in each prison as at 31 March in each of the last five years.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners in each prison currently have a mental illness requiring medical treatment.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) prevalence and (b) incidence of new cases of blood-borne viruses was in each prison in each of the last three years.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) prevalence and (b) incidence of new cases of tuberculosis was in each prison in each of the last three years.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) prevalence and (b) incidence of new cases of the dual diagnosis of serious mental illness and drug addiction was in each prison in each of the last three years.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) prevalence and (b) incidence of new cases of serious mental illness was in each prison in each of the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not available.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any employees of the Scottish Prison Service are members of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the person holding the post of Head of Health Care in the Scottish Prison Service must also hold membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements it places on the contractor, in its contract for medical services in prisons, for the retention of doctors experienced in prison medicine.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  None.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who holds responsibility for public health in prisons.

Mr Jim Wallace: As public health is a devolved issue, responsibility rests with the Scottish Executive.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what standard procedures the Scottish Prison Service has for sharing information between drugs service providers and prison staff.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Scottish Prison Service (SPS) procedures for information sharing in the drugs field are outlined in the SPS Drug Strategy Partnership and Co-ordination (SPS, 2000), copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. Joint protocols have been developed for information sharing between SPS and Drugs Action Teams (DATs). All client information is subject to the Data Protection Act.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the mortality and morbidity rates of prisoners within one month following their release.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Scottish Prison Service is working closely with Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency and Glasgow University to establish monitoring systems for post release drug-related deaths. The outcomes of this work will directly influence policy, and will be published in due course.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners are currently being treated with (a) methadone and (b) naltrexone.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information is not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive within what period a doctor must arrive when on call to a prison operated by the Scottish Prison Service.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  When called to attend a prison, it is expected that the doctor will arrive within one hour, unless agreed otherwise.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how Medacs demonstrates its commitment to continuing professional development for general practitioners providing a medical service in prisons.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Medacs’ Medical Officers undergo a regular process of continuous professional development needs assessment.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Scottish Prison Service has taken to test prisoner confidence in the medical service provided.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  SPS asks prisoners about health care services through the annual prison survey.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Scottish Prison Service has taken to improve the recruitment and retention of nurses in prisons.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  In addition to a recent pay award for nursing staff, the Scottish Prison Service has recently begun a comprehensive nursing services review which, among other things, will look at nurse recruitment and retention issues.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken legal advice on the compliance with section 3A of the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989 of its contract with Medacs for the provision of medical services in prisons.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service is compliant with the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it provides the facility for prison staff and drugs service providers to attend training courses together.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Scottish Prison Service and drug service provider staff are encouraged to attend joint training where appropriate. An agreement is currently being drawn up between SPS and Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol (STRADA) to develop this further.

Protection of Animals (Scotland) Bill

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the proposed Protection of Animals (Scotland) Bill will be introduced.

Ross Finnie: Regrettably there will be insufficient parliamentary time to bring forward the proposed bill during this Parliament. However, the Executive recognises the need to continue to improve animal welfare and, before the end of this Parliament, we intend to publish for consultation a draft bill setting out our intentions.

Public Transport

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the commitment in the transport section of Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys to increasing capacity on the rail network in and around Edinburgh will translate to a fully-financed commitment to a tram system in Edinburgh and, if so, how much funding has been allocated to put this commitment into effect and what the timescale is for completion.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has provided £6.5 million to fund the development of the North Edinburgh tram to parliamentary order stage and to look at options for the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway, and a further £5 million to do the same for the West Edinburgh Tram. We are currently considering a proposal from City of Edinburgh Council for funding for development of a South East Edinburgh Tram.

  The funding that is in place will allow progress to be made as quickly as possible on the North and West lines. Until this development work, including a Scottish Transport Advisory Group 2 (STAG2) appraisal in each case, is complete, it would be premature to enter into commitments about funding the building of these lines.

  On City of Edinburgh Council's current plans, trams would be in operation on the north and west lines in 2009.

Rape

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what use is made of colposcopy in the examination of alleged rape victims.

Mr Jim Wallace: The use or otherwise of colposcopy is a matter for the examining surgeon but I understand that it is not a procedure which is used on a regular basis.

Rape

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist training those who carry out forensic and medical examinations on alleged rape victims receive.

Mr Jim Wallace: The type and extent of additional specialist training undertaken are matters for individual police surgeons, the body of police surgeons within each force, the force itself and the police authority.

Roads

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28922 by Lewis Macdonald on 18 September 2002, whether it will give details of each objection to the draft orders regarding the A90 improvement.

Lewis Macdonald: No. The objections are for me to consider in terms of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects work to (a) begin and (b) be completed in respect of upgrading the A80 between Glasgow and Stirling to motorway status.

Lewis Macdonald: Following consideration of the corridor study recommendations and the consultation process, preparation work for the A80 upgrade should begin later this year with a view to construction work commencing around 2008, with completion of a scheme to upgrade the A80 around 2010.

Roads

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to answer to question S1W-28950 by Lewis Macdonald on 18 September 2002, who the four eminent academics were that formed the external advisory panel on the Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies and what specialist knowledge or professional practice each has in the field of transport.

Lewis Macdonald: Four members of the external advisory panel were appointed in May 2000. They are:

  Phil Goodwin, Professor of Transport Policy, ESRC Transport Studies Unit at University College London.

  Peter Mackie, Professor of Transport Studies, Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds.

  Austin Smyth, Professor of Transport Economics, Transport Research Institute at Napier University.

  Chris Wood, Professor of Environmental Planning, School of Planning and Landscape at the University of Manchester.

  The panel membership brings to this study:

  experience on the Standing Advisory Committee for Trunk Road Assessment (economic development being a key issue in the study area);

  previous experience of the multi-modal study of the M4 in South Wales (a groundbreaking application of multi-modal appraisal techniques);

  experience in contributing to the recent Guidance on the Methodology for Multi-Modal Studies commissioned by the UK Government, and

  a wider European dimension in transport appraisal and Environmental Impact Assessment methodology.

  Each member of the panel is widely acknowledged as an expert in his particular field.

Scottish Executive Visits

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a breakdown of all foreign trips it has funded in each of the last two years, detailing the cost of each trip, its purpose and whether reports on the outcome of each trip have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the cost of each journey to attend meetings and engagements overseas, and its purpose, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Reports on the outcome of each such journey are not placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Statistics

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish its report on the progress made against the Statistical Plan 2001-02 .

Mr Andy Kerr: I am pleased to announce that we are publishing the report of progress against the Statistical Plan 2001-02, today. The Chief Statistician’s Annual Report 2001-02 sets out the progress made against the Statistical Plan 2001-02, which was published in May 2001.

Task Forces

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list each task force created since May 1999, giving the membership and the dates established and terminated in each case.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is not held centrally.

Waste Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial incentives and penalties were included in the commercial agreements between West of Scotland Water and Scotia Water to ensure that certain levels of odour mitigation were achieved at the Dalmuir waste water treatment plant.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  The project agreement requires measures to be taken to achieve standards of odour treatment. Any failure of this process causing an odour nuisance event is recorded as a service level failure and a deduction from the service fees is applied. Failure also triggers a system of penalty points which, if failure continues, can accumulate to a level to cause termination of the contract.

Waste Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what levels of odour were deemed acceptable in the commercial agreements between West of Scotland Water and Scotia Water for the Dalmuir waste water treatment plant.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  Permissible levels of odour were determined by the planning authority and incorporated into the planning consent. This requires the works to be designed and operated so that the contribution of the works to odour concentration does not exceed 2.5 odour units/m3, 98% of the time.

Waste Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the peak levels of odours monitored at the Dalmuir waste water treatment works have been in each of the last 12 months.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  Hydrogen sulphide levels are monitored at the emission stack of the odour treatment plant. The plant started its commissioning process last year but experienced faults in the instrumentation and control systems. These have been addressed, and over the last six months the plant has been operating more reliably. Monthly peak levels of hydrogen sulphide were 90ppb, measured on a 15 minute sampling cycle, with monthly averages from 4ppb to 22ppb. Intensive monitoring of boundary odours will be carried out during the contractual six month odour investigations.

Waste Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what commitments, and timescales set for their compliance, have been given in respect of the operation of the Dalmuir waste water treatment works.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  The works achieved discharge compliance on 7 February 2002. This is a measure of the ability of the works to meet the required discharge consent standards set by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Since then, work has progressed commissioning the remainder of the plant, equipment and control systems, and setting the operational parameters for the long-term running of the treatment works. The contract with Scotia Water allows for this commissioning process until the next stages of practical completion and actual completion are reached. Scotia Water has committed resources to achieve these contractual milestones and has issued a programme showing practical completion by mid-December 2002, and actual completion by the end of January 2003.

Waste Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is currently being considered to address any recurring odour problems relating to Dalmuir waste water treatment works.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  Odours from the plant have come principally from the interim sludge processing operation, the transport of the sludge cake and from the storm tanks.

  The interim sludge processing was stopped on 13 September and the sub-contractor was instructed to clean out the remaining sludge from his storage tanks before standing down. As the sludge is heavy and grit laden at the bottom of these tanks, decommissioning is likely to last until the second week in October. Sludge is now being pumped to Shieldhall waste water treatment works through Scottish Water’s new pumping station at Dalmuir.

  The trucks transporting the sludge cake were also a source of odour nuisance. This was caused by the release of ammonia as a result of the lime addition required for agricultural recycling of the material. Scottish Water took over the management of cake disposal from the beginning of July. An alternative disposal route was found which did not require the addition of the lime and this has reduced the nuisance considerably.

  The storm tanks have proved to be a source of odour nuisance particularly during emptying. Prolonged periods of wet weather over the last 12 months caused a large accumulation of sludge in the tanks and caused problems with both the volume to be cleared, and deterioration in sludge quality as the sludge aged and turned septic. Settled weather during the last month has only now allowed all the tanks to be cleaned. In light of experience, Scotia Water has alleviated some nuisance by modifying its operating procedures to limit exposure of sludge to the atmosphere and return tank contents to the head of the works at an early stage. Discussions have also been held with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on using the tanks more effectively and if agreement is reached, the tank operation will be simplified and the odour risk reduced.

Waste Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it expects the sewage sludge pipeline from Dalmuir to Daldowie to be operational.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  The pipeline from Dalmuir to Shieldhall has been tested with sludge since the 20 August 2002. The pipeline became fully operational on the 9 September 2002 and now all the sludge from Dalmuir is pumped to Shieldhall for onward pumping and processing at the new Daldowie Sludge Treatment Centre.

Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress there has been in establishing Water Customer Consultation Panels in accordance with the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002.

Ross Finnie: The Water Customer Consultation Panels were established under the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002 with the convener to be appointed by ministers and the panel members appointed by the convener.

  The Executive has recently advertised the post of convenor and is considering a number of applications. The appointment of panel members will be made as soon as practicable following the appointment of the convener.

Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the consultation code required under section 28 of the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002 has been submitted to ministers and when the code will be made publicly available.

Ross Finnie: In my response of 5 July 2002 to the member’s letter of 31 May about the proposed timetable for the preparation of the consultation code, I explained the process required under section 28 of the above act, before the code was submitted to Scottish ministers.

  In this respect, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28185 on 30 August 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The consultation code has not been submitted to ministers.

Water Safety

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a breakdown by local authority, expressed also as a ratio of the number of private water supplies in each area, of the £850,000 for the production of a comprehensive education and support package to professionals and users in respect of the potential risks of private water supplies, as referred to in the report by the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland to the Ad Hoc Group of Ministers on Health and Public Water Supply.

Ross Finnie: The Executive are presently in discussion with a number of bodies including representatives from local authorities and industry professionals regarding the production of an effective education package.

  Although a final decision regarding the format and distribution has not been made it is envisaged that the education pack will be primarily targeted at areas with a high proportion of private supplies. In addition some of the organisations that will receive and distribute information (including the trade body representing plumbers) represent national organisations and will be asked to distribute material to all their members.

Water Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what species typing is undertaken when cryptosporidium oocysts are identified in the Glasgow water supply.

Ross Finnie: Speciation of cryptosporidium oocysts is highly specialised work and is not routinely undertaken as part of the analysis work carried out on water samples.

Water Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the name is of the methodology used by Scottish Water in measuring and typing cryptosporidium oocysts in drinking water.

Ross Finnie: The methodology used by Scottish Water to identify and count cryptosporidium oocysts is set out in The Cryptosporidium (Scottish Water) Directions 2002 and the associated guidance. These documents are available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 22767 and 24367 respectively). Scottish Water does not type oocysts because this is a highly specialised task that is still being developed for oocysts detected in water samples.

Water Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when Scottish Water became aware of the species type of cryptosporidium present following the identification of a cryptosporidium contamination of the Mugdock reservoir on 2 August 2002.

Ross Finnie: Speciation of the cryptosporidium oocysts detected in the water from Mugdock reservoir was carried out by the Scottish Parasitic Diagnostic Laboratory (SPDL) and reported to the Incident Control Team (ICT) on 29 August. Interpretation of the data presented by SPDL is a matter for the ICT and any relevant facts will be included in the final report being prepared by the ICT.

Water Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which public or private bodies regularly test Glasgow’s drinking water quality and how often these tests check for the prevalence of cryptosporidium oocysts.

Ross Finnie: Scottish Water regularly checks the quality of all Glasgow’s drinking water as required by The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 1990. Continuous sampling of the water from Milngavie treatment works for cryptosporidium is also carried out under the terms of The Cryptosporidium (Scottish Water) Directions 2002 . The Milngavie water treatment works serves about 700,000 people in the Greater Glasgow area.